Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique

Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT) is an adaptive traffic control system for controlled road crossings originally developed by the Transport Research Laboratory.[1] It is used extensively throughout the United Kingdom as well as in other countries.

SCOOT automatically adjusts the traffic signal delays to adapt to traffic conditions, using data from traffic sensors.[2] Sensor data is gathered from multiple sensors within clusters of road crossings called "regions", and used to guide crossing timing decisions throughout each region.[1] SCOOT has been demonstrated to yield improvements in traffic performance of the order of 20% compared to fixed timing systems.[2]

Placebo buttons

According to a BBC News report, data from pedestrian signal buttons may or may not have any real effect on SCOOT-controlled crossing timings, depending on their location and the time of day, and some junctions may be completely automated, with push-buttons which do not have any effect at all,[3] effectively acting as placebo buttons. However, the same report quotes a Transport for London source as stating that the majority of pedestrian junctions in London do respond to the pedestrian signal button.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Traffic Advisory Leaflet 4/95: The "SCOOT" Urban Traffic Control System" (PDF). Department of Transport. April 1995.
  2. 1 2 "Urban traffic control systems: Evidence on performance". Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  3. 1 2 Tom de Castella (4 September 2013). "Does pressing the pedestrian crossing button actually do anything?". BBC News.
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